Rise of the Tomb Raider lead writer Rhianna Pratchett departs from series

Rhianna Pratchett was an instrumental part of setting the tone for the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot and the 2015 sequel Rise of the Tomb Raider, transforming Lara Croft from a perfect, posh aristocrat into a more grounded human being with flaws and scars. Along with Gail Simone, she also helped weave Lara Croft's tale across a series of comic books, published by Dark Horse. But today, Pratchett and developer Crystal Dynamics announced they would be parting ways.

CrystalD & @Rhipratchett are announcing that Rhianna is off to pursue new adventures apart from Tomb Raider. The entire team thanks her! pic.twitter.com/q55E7yDl9zJanuary 3, 2017

Over on her Twitter page, Pratchett thanks Crystal Dynamics for their dedication, specifically narrative director John Stafford, fellow Rise of the Tomb Raider writer Cameron Suey, and Tomb Raider 2013 creative director Noah Hughes. She also thanks the Tomb Raider fan community, saying they were "constantly helping me remember why I do this job." She did not elaborate what her next project will be.